Challenges Of Authenticity And Integrity In Preserving Industrial Heritage – Example Of The Rog Factory
1. januar, 2024
One of Maks Fabiani’s well-known ideas is that in the rescue of individual areas, it is necessary to have a picture of the city in its entirety before sight. In fact, developing a good conservation plan requires first comprehending the significance of a building, its setting, its fabric, its use, records, objects, its role in history, and the area itself. Of course, dealing with industrial monuments presents an even greater challenge in achieving recognition of industrial heritage as such, because it belongs to different or opposing fields: tangible vs intangible or movable vs static. The principle of authenticity is more conceptual in industrial sites, while integrity presents a challenge, because these sites are frequently ‘on their way’ to the urbanistic and constructional interests of owners or planners, and are frequently adopted to different reuse, which can cause impacts on the area where it is located, sometimes linked to the negative impact of gentrification.
As part of Ljubljana’s industrial heritage, the Rog factory was recognised as an important structure of the past, and it is now protected by legal measures that should be strong enough to ensure the preservation of its significance for future generations. “We are building a creative environment for the development of innovative projects facing the challenges of the 21st century. Center Rog will be open to the public in autumn 2023,” we read the advertising slogan of investors renovating the old Rog factory located a step from the centre of Ljubljana. “It will offer creators and citizens almost 9,000 m2 of new creative space and content, as well as a new 8,000 m2 large park dedicated to the daily use of citizens and public events,” it further states.
In fact, the Center Rog was opened in October 2023 as a creative hub, empowering individuals to craft their creations independently or with the guidance of our skilled mentors. There are nine specialized production labs equipped with both traditional hand tools and cutting-edge technologies. From dawn till dusk, it’s a melting pot where the old meets the new—modern designers collaborate with masters of traditional crafts, tech enthusiasts mingle with avid readers, culinary artists collaborate with metalworkers, architects partner with carpenters, engineers brainstorm alongside the curious. It’s an idea factory where they harness the power of milling and sewing machines, biochemistry and boundless imagination, a blend of restaurant and interactive workshops, a fusion of library and cosy café, a bistro intersecting with a fab lab—all aimed at transforming concepts into tangible products and social interactions into unforgettable experiences (www.center-rog.si)
The investors promised to create a new international creative and social centre, tightly connected to the local environment, with the revival of the former Rog factory in the centre of Ljubljana. With circular land use, a strong cross-sectoral and international orientation, and a commitment to sustainable development, the Rog Centre’s impact would extend beyond direct users and benefit the lives of the broader community. The success of this new idea needs to be reevaluated in a year or soon.
The former Rog bicycle factory is located between Trubar, Rozman Street, and Petkovškovo nabrežje, the city centre’s entrance edge.
In the late 18th century, it was an area on the outskirts of the city known as the Šempeter suburb. Because of the proximity of the Ljubljana River, many artisanal workshops had previously operated here, mostly plants related to the production, processing, and design of leather. The water was not only necessary for the profession, but it also removed the sewage and stench. At the time, the land was primarily used for agriculture.
Factory Rog is situated in Ljubljana, on the eastern edge of the city center, within the buildings surrounded by the Ljubljanica River on the south-west side, Trubarjeva street on the north side and Rozmanova street on the east side. (Source: Pečar R.)
The plant’s origins can be traced back to 1871. Owner Ivan Janetsch had to build a single-story factory, which quickly grew to become the largest in Ljubljana. The buildings survived the earthquake with minor damage. In 1900, he sold the factory to Karl Pollak, who modernised and controlled it further. Four years later, Pollak had his villa built next to Gustav Tonnies’ plans, along with several utility facilities. He also upgraded the building with two floors, using a skeletal reinforced concrete structure, which was unusual in the developing city prior to World War I.
In 1920, it was renamed Indus d.d. The building underwent a major renovation in 1922. The building’s long and narrow structure, expressive reinforced concrete skeletal construction, and extremely rich window-glazed surfaces were designed to maximize natural light in the production areas.
For the first time in Slovenia, construction of the Honnebique type was carried out. The shingle state is more than 9 metres long and 120 metres wide. The exterior features a structure-adapted design that forms a façade along the Ljubljanica River with a steady rhythm and tectonic logic (architect Josip Didek, ing. Alois Kral). Pollak also experienced difficulties as a result of the fall of Wall Street and the ensuing global financial crisis. In 1933, a compulsory settlement was established and bankruptcy was established in 1938. The owner of the Adolf Merhenhalter leather factory purchased the majority of the factory’s shares in 1941. In 1945, the post-war government expropriated and nationalised the leather factory. The decision to make bicycles and other machines was made quickly, so the factory was remodelled in 1951, and the first bicycles were driven out of production strips two years later. It is named after the partisan unit headquarters in Kočevski Rog. The factory began by manufacturing bicycle parts, then bicycles and mopeds. In 1963, 141,000 bicycles were manufactured. The Pony, considered the first Slovenian folding wheel, was one of the most legendary bikes. They also produced motorised ponies (Laura) for a few years before discontinuing this activity in 1982. With the end of Yugoslavia came the inevitable end of the Rog factory. Due to high logistical costs, the plant’s management abandoned production in 1991 and merged all production activities in the industrial zone along Letališka Street. As for many other Slovenian companies, Rog was written with a similar story in the years that followed, marked by production cessation, bankruptcy, and layoffs. The political situation results in a different attitude towards heritage and the very development of the concept of conservation, so we do not, of course, discuss the protection thereof. The factory has gradually deteriorated over the last 20 years. Without a proper owner and control, it was taken over by various artists, who stated that while attempting to revitalise the building through various installations and staging, the ‘spirit of the factory’ remained alive, and did not bring much development at all. To some extent, the abandoned building has become disruptive and dangerous for nearby residents, but it is likely that municipal politics has suffered the most. Moving along the timeline, the following events occurred: in 1992, a process was initiated to change the spatial act, which envisions industrial production, produced professional bases, and a proposal for the protection of the production building along the Ljubljanica River. The Municipality of Ljubljana (Department of Urban Planning) launched the denationalisation process in 1994 by conducting a building test with a survey competition. In 1997, detailed urban planning for the regulation of the factory area was adopted, which, based on building tests, the Euroculture Symposium, and the study Designing the city under market economy conditions, formulated a synthetic urban planning arrangement into a decree-law. Cultural heritage protection is provided (Polak`s villa, main factory building and Wrattsch house). 1999 is a professional study of the state of cultural capacities. As many supporters as there are opponents who portray the city (MOL) as social, cultural and politically purifying, because it would place the factory in the context of neoliberalism, through which it becomes understood as a company, and its destructive, authoritarian, and repressive tendencies are also manifested by gentrification. Factory Plans from 1923 Polack`s Villa plans from 1904 (Source: Pečar R.)
Finally, in 2013, after years of complications with various loans, overpayments, and financial speculation, the factory is sold to MOL for EUR 9,5 million. In 2007, the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage adopted a protection regime and renovation guidelines for the building. Following the competition, the architectural bureau MX_SI Architects winners drew up a municipal detailed spatial plan that converts the competition solution into a decree-law in 2010. MOL was unable to find an investor until 2016 when the project changed only in terms of investment rather than content (Pečar, 2017, p. 43).
The restoration and reconstruction of industrial monuments frequently exhibit a gap between theory and practice, and the implementation of international policies is challenging. The Rog factory is a testament to these demanding procedures, which escalated to gentrification due to its restoration and super-standard reconstruction processes. Regenerated historic neighbourhoods are usually prime real estate values and destinations of global tourism, especially if they are located in the heart of a city and are designated as Heritage sites.
Presently, the landscape of the Rog factory has undergone substantial transformation, adopting a contemporary appearance characterized by a notable cleanliness, albeit at the expense of losing many distinctive elements of its original architectural features. Despite this evolution, the programs offered within the premises exhibit intriguing and welcoming facets, which ostensibly aim to sustain the vibrancy of the space. It is hoped that the inherent appeal of these programs will effectively contribute to the continued vitality and relevance of the location.
